Spring Snow
by HettyBobcat
Summary: Cute one-shot: Camping, Ran and Conan wake in the night to a blanket of snow. Warming around a campfire, they both become introspective.


"Spring Snow."

A Detective Conan fan-fiction

"C-c-c-c Conan" Ran chattered, her breath a visible cloud. Her breathing was shallow. Her lips were a blushing red and her cheeks were like soft roses they were so pink. She took a labored deep breath and sighed it back out. Her eye lids half covered her bright blue eyes, but even the little bit of her irises that were exposed sparkled in the moon-light.

Conan Edogawa thought at that moment that he had never seen a creature so beautiful as she. He held on to her tightly, protectively. His small stature made it exceedingly difficult to accomplish his task. 'Damn this 6 year old body!' he fumed in his head. His little arms wouldn't even reach around her all the way.

The scenery was certainly beautiful. A light blanket of snow laced the ground and the moon had chased away her cloud maidens leaving a deep velvet blue black sky dotted with the most brilliant stars. An arm of the Milky Way sprinkled itself overhead like powdered sugar and glitter. It was certainly a magical time.

"I'm so cold, I can't stand it any more!" Ran almost bit her lip and so she clenched her jaw tightly. Conan knew just what to do. He was very prepared. He would take care of her. He released his protective grasp and moved away from her a short distance.

"Wait just a second Ran." The little boy cleared away some of the snow with a pine bow. He broke it up and pulled out a little wooden box from his back-pack. The little box was a light cherry wood rectangle. Within were two equal sized square compartments, each one residence to its own small black rock. Tipping the box on its side, he emptied the rocks into his palm. His finger tips were beginning to turn red from the cold.

Squatting in front of the little ring of rocks he struck his flint together several times until a small fire ignited on the kindling. He tended the flame for a moment and soon a comfortable roaring fire blazed before them.

"Wow Conan! I'm impressed! Where did you learn to do that?" The brown-haired girl marveled and positioned herself comfortably before the camp fire. The little boy squeezed his eyes closed tightly and grinned. He rubbed the back of his head out of feigned embarrassment.

"Well you know, they teach kids all kinds of things now days!" he giggled innocently.

"Well come here and get warm." She responded smilingly. She reached out and took Conan's little hand in her own and pulled him into her lap. She hugged him from behind and rested her chin on the crown of his head like a big sister. She stared and smiled into the fire. The little detective wished he could share her mirth. She thought of him as a little brother or cousin. The casual way she held him, the blank smile she gave him while sending him off to school, the way she patted his head and mussed his hair… the way she sighed and thought about Shinichi, himself… 'This body is a curse.' He thought sadly. He turned his head to look up at her. She moved her chin and smiled down at him. He faked a grin and acted like he was cozying up to the fire as well.

This was certainly a romantic setting, he thought. Too bad he couldn't spend it with Ran the way he wanted to.

Ran allowed her vision to blur. She wasn't really focusing on the blaze before her. She just stared into it and smiled; but it was a false one at best. She put on a happy exterior in times like this for little Conan's sake. She didn't want to ruin his good time just because she could think of someone else she'd rather be cuddling with in the woods.

Ran had suggested it, the camping trip. She said it would be a good treat for Conan to get away on a little vacation to celebrate his report card. It was early March and mid-term had come. The little genius had gotten all A's again. She didn't know how he did it. She never saw him do homework and he was always running around with her and her father on murder cases! He certainly was a prodigy and she wanted to show him how proud she was. She knew it had to be hard on him with his parents so far away. She excitedly exclaimed that she would take him on a camping trip, just he and she. She figured the nights would be cold, they always were in early March, but she never expected snow.

They had crawled into the tent to sleep early in the evening but Ran awoke shivering and teeth chattering. Lucky for her Conan had the presence of mind to get a fire going. She hadn't even brought any matches! What was she thinking?! She chuckled quietly in her throat as she thought about it. They must have looked ridiculous sitting in flannel pajamas the both of them sitting on the wet ground before a small blaze like it was the only thing keeping them alive. She chuckled again.

"Ran…" The little boy twisted around to look her in the eye as he spoke in his deceptively child-like voice. "What are you thinking about?"

The teenager sat back a little, surprised at the question. She smiled again and then smirked. "I have a game." She said. "You're such a clever little boy and so good at solving problems…" she looked to the sky, thinking. "You tell me what I'm thinking. I won't try to hide any clues." She let her eyes roll slowly back down to meet his. He sat dumbly for a moment.

"I can't do…" he started but was promptly cut off.

"Think of it as a challenge! There are no stakes so you can't really loose." She grinned playfully. She worried that he was bored and had to think of something for the child to do to keep himself occupied. Simply sitting in front of a fire doing nothing and saying nothing isn't the kind of thing that a kid can tolerate for very long. She smiled slightly at him.

He looked around unsure. He ran his fingers through his short, thick brown hair and looked around. "Well, I guess so…"

Ran leaned back resting her weight on her hands which were stretched out behind her. She laid her legs out strait in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. She looked very comfortable. Conan scrutinized her posture. Her head was cocked casually to the side, long hair falling over to her left, cow-lick rising to the right. Her blue eyes were soft. In the fire light he could see the pearl-tones of the whites. They were very shiny and even took on a slightly gray cast in the shadows. The blue seemed more vivid. He noticed that even though she seemed relaxed and smiling, her brow was slightly tense, but to such a small degree he was certain that she didn't even realize it. He noted her smile. He always paid attention to her smile. He loved seeing it so much. He was so familiar with it that those two lips could tell him so much about how she was feeling. It was a smile. That was all. Her eyes weren't squinted, her cheeks weren't balled, even her lips seemed to be pulled in slightly… ever so…. slightly. She was happy, but distracted. He was pretty sure he had this one licked.

He looked her in the eyes. "You're thinking about the camping trip. You're thinking about how much fun you wanted me to have. You're thinking that we can still have fun even if it snowed and is cold…"

Ran grinned even farther. That was exactly what she wanted him to say. That was what she was consciously thinking with full intent that he should guess it. She started to lean forward to think of something else to think of.

"…but…" Conan continued. He sounded serious and his voice softened. Ran stopped smiling and stopped playing. She crossed her legs and leaned forward, curious where he was going next. "…you're distracted."

"Well…" she started again, trying to explain herself so Conan wouldn't think she wasn't having fun too.

"You're thinking about Shinichi. You're thinking about what a nice time it is out here and how… how beautiful the snow is. You're thinking that it would be nice to sit by the fire with him even… even if it was just for a little while." Conan blushed as he spoke. Ran blushed too.

"How did you… What makes you think that?" Her surprised, gaping expression turned quickly to a disbelieving grin like the kind adults plaster on their faces to placate children.

"A lot of it was your body language. I could tell you were a little bit distracted even though you are in a good enough mood. But the rest was from knowing you so well. I know how you are and I know that you care for me so well… and I have come to realize that you really do care about Shinichi… the way he cares about you." He started out analytical but softened once again. He stood before her. With her sitting posture he could look her directly eye to eye like this. He smiled a little bit and Ran blushed hard.

She could feel a sick and desperate feeling in her stomach now. She wanted to cry. She wanted Shinichi with her right now. It was an odd feeling. She felt like he was. She felt desperate because even though she couldn't see him or hear him, it seemed like he was always right there with her. The cruel part was she could never touch him.

Conan Edogawa blushed profusely. He hoped Ran couldn't see it as he was turned away from the fire. His face felt red hot even though his skin was ice cold. This was the closest he had ever come to an actual declaration of his feelings for her. The two remained in silence for a while just looking at each other.

"I think it's about time for bed now. Don't you?" She grinned uncomfortably. "We have our fire going now! We can snuggle under our nice warm blankets and wake up nice and early in the morning for a full day of fun!" She struggled for something, anything to say. She felt a little uncomfortable now for some reason. She felt utterly open and exposed as if her entire life were an open book for this child to read; large print, no less! She didn't know of anyone who could be that perceptive except for…

"Uh, yeah." The elementary school student laughed nervously. "I'm so tired!" He faked a yawn and crawled into the tent. Ran crawled in behind him. They faced each other on their sides, both had their eyes closed ready for sleep. Several minutes passed. Conan's mind was racing so he couldn't sleep. He simply lay there with his eyes closed, but perfectly awake. Ran yawned beside him. She sleepily opened her eyes and placed a delicate hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Conan?" She mumbled groggily. "What makes you think Shinichi cares for me so much?" He could barely make out her garbled words. She was obviously released from the bonds of sensible discretion through the freedom of sleep. He smiled warmly at her even though he knew she could not see him. He picked up his bow tie from beside him and tuned the frequency just right.

"Because," he said in his real grown-up voice, "I'm always here for you, Ran. You silly girl." The warm familiarity of Shinichi's voice calmed her and she smiled dreamily as she drifted back into slumber, not ever thinking about that voice coming from a 6 year old. Conan smiled softly and almost sorrowfully at her, knowing how close yet so far away he always was from her. He leaned over and placed his soft little hand on her cheek. He kissed her gently on the mouth in a tender display of affection and again a little more passionately, allowing himself to taste her lips and pull them into his own mouth. "I'm always right here." He whispered quietly to the sleeping beauty beside him in his child-like voice once more. With one last longing look he laid down and went to sleep.


End file.
